Capybara: Biology, Use and Conservation of an Exceptional Neotropical Species. This item is unavailable.Capybara: Biology, Use and Conservation of an Exceptional Neotropical Species

The capybara is the neotropical mammal with the highest potential for production and domestication. Amongst the favorable characteristics for domestication we can list its high prolificacy, rapid growth rate, a herbivorous diet, social behavior and relative tameness. The genus (with only two species) is found from the Panama Canal to the north of Argentina on the east of the Andes. Chile is the only country in South America where the capybara is not found. The species is eaten all over its range, especially by poor, rural and traditional communities engaged in subsistence hunting. On the other hand, in large urban settlements wildlife is consumed by city dwellers as a delicacy. The sustainable management of capybara in the wild has been adopted by some South American countries, while others have encouraged capybara rearing in captivity.

Capybaras are not merely unusual, they are extraordinary. It is widely known that they are the largest living rodent (c. 50kg), but it is less well known that their biology is exceptional in many other regards, as documented in this book, Capybara: Biology, Use and Conservation of an Exceptional Neotropical Species. With a suit of adaptations to a semi-aquatic lifestyle, and a remarkable social system, the capybara is the South American ecological equivalent of the medium-sized ungulates of Africa. Their size, adaptations and habitat make them fascinating in their own right, and a revealing model for studies of the evolution of animal societies. Furthermore, from prehistory to the present day they have been hunted for their meat and skins, and nowadays they are both farmed and harvested, which makes them an illuminating case study for discussions of sustainable use. This blend of attributes makes the capybara a focus of specialist interest and a source of general principles, and these two ends of the readership spectrum are both encompassed by the extraordinary international team of 36 authors that have contributed the 24 inter-disciplinary chapters of this book. Written in an accessible style that will satisfy generalists, practitioners and specialists alike, this book represents the compendious ‘one-stop-shop’ that will be the benchmark publication on capybaras and on neotropical wildlife management for years to come.